Only a Month to go...

Hello everybody. Today is March 1st meaning I only have 25 more days here. The thought of leaving is bittersweet; I’ve come to realize that’s the case with most changes. I’m excited for the last part of my stay here. Friday my parents come and we’re going to be making a tour through Senegal and Gambia. We’ll be heading to the Atlantic Coast in Gambia and then to Cap Skirring and Zinguinchor in the Casamance region. I’m going to be staying in Zinguinchor to take a look at some of the projects CRS and it’s partners are involved in such as the Micro finance banks and the peace building projects.

At work I’m trying to gather as much information that I’ll need in order to write the lovely 30 page paper I get to write when I return. Two of the main human rights issues are the Talibé, and women’s education. The Talibé are the kids who beg for money on streets in order to give to the Marabouts who supposedly take care of them and teach them the Qur’an (I think wrote about this earlier). These children obviously are not taken care of and the problem is very visible, yet the government isn’t acting to improve the situation. There are several NGO’s who focus on this issue, some provide shelters for these kids to clean themselves and provide food, others actually interact with the Marabouts and provide resources to ensure that the children are actually being taught and not sent out on the streets. In terms of women’s education, the literacy rate among women is around 30%. Part of the problem is that for many women it is not imperative for them to read and write French because they are preoccupied with house work, raising families and trying to earn a living by the means that are immediately accessible such as being a maid. But iliteracy handicaps them from any type of job in the working class and from improving their status. I’m thinking of focusing on some of the cultural barriers that are present in Senegal which create obstacles for development efforts focused on women’s empowerment when I apply for the Fulbright Scholarship. One example of a cultural carrier is the idea that keeping women at home helps to maintain their purity and ensures their protection from the outside world. Though I personally have not observed this in my experience, I have to remind myself that I’ve been living in the most developed and modernized part of Senegal.

Other stuff going on… I’m coming to the point where I realize my French has definitely improved. I can goof off and rarely find myself lost in conversations with my friends, though outside of the friends atmosphere there’s still a lot that I don’t catch because my vocabulary still needs to expand (I’m sure this will hold true for the rest of my life). This weekend I realized there are going to be a few things I’m going to miss: my track buddy, Coumb, being the intriguing toubab on the track team, chatting with all my buddies who hang out at the boutique by my house everyday after work, and being greeted with high energy and excitement by Khady when I enter the house. Okay well now that I started thinking about it more come to mind… I’m going to miss the prayer group that meets every Monday night that worships like there’s a party going on. I found it humorous during one song when everyone took their shawls or shirts and started waving them in the air. The only other time I’ve seen this is when dancing to the rap song with the line “take your shirt off and hold it in your hand like a helicopter (I forget what song and who sings it).” The contrast of these two scenarios caused me to laugh.

Alright, I’m off to try and recuperate a package. (Mom, I finally got it) I’m premeditating before I go because it’s so ridiculously complex and time consuming. You take numerous pieces of paper that different people give you and are directed to go to see about half of the post office staff. Then after paying whatever sum the official guy wants (he’s official because he has an office and writes something in a big book), you can receive the package. AGH…. This is one thing that I won’t miss.
May God bless you all on this glorious day!